Viet Cong
Danny Boyer }} "The Viet Cong knew how to attack you from all sides without any warning." -Tuan Nguyen The Viet Cong, the rag-tag guerrilla force that took the U.S. military head-on and won the Vietnam War; vs. the Nazi Waffen SS, the fanatical shock troops who led Adolf Hitler's evil charge for world domination. Stats *Reign of Terror- 1954 - 1971 *Height - 5' 4" *Weight - 120 lbs *Allegiance - Ho Chi Minh *Symbol - Star( Which is the logo of North Vietnam) Weapons History Anti-Imperialism in Vietnam In WW2, Imperial Japan invaded French Indochina (consisting of Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam) and fought against the colony. When the war was over, the Vietnamese leader Ho Chi Minh demanded independence from France for assisting them in WW2, but France refused. From 1946-1954, the Vietnamese led by Ho Chi Minh (the Viet Minh) rebelled in the First Indochina War and removed France. Second Indochina War Civil War In its place was two Vietnamese nations; the communist North Vietnam and the capitalist and Western-allied South Vietnam. It is believed that the USA and other Western nations had significant influence in the formation of the South Vietnamese government. The Viet Cong was an underground guerrilla fighting group who desired to reunite Vietnam which was divided at the 17th parallel. South Vietnam and the USA did not want the nation to be reunited with North Vietnam in order to prevent the spread of communism. The Viet Cong rose up against the corrupt South Vietnamese government and participated in acts of sabotage and assassination. During the Vietnam War, they were one of the major factions that the Americans and their allies faced. The Viet Cong were known for their cunning and skill in unconventional warfare. Although the USA attempted to support the South Vietnamese Army (Army of the Republic of Vietnam) with foreign aid and training; it became clear that ARVN was not capable of fighting the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese due to high corruption and low morale. The 1963 Battle of Ap Bac for instance had 350 Viet Cong defeat 1,500 ARVN soldiers. US Involvement The State of Vietnam referendum of 1955 was an election to determine the status of South Vietnam and if it would be communist or capitalist. The candidate Ngo Dinh Diem was unpopular compared to his communist opponents, and it was obvious that he would lose the election. Diem, with support from his western allies, rigged the election; winning an unrealistic 133% of the vote in Saigon. He then established the government of South Vietnam and launched purges against political opponents. This outraged the pro-communist public, leading to civil war. When the war reached its peak, Diem was assassinated (possibly by CIA agents) on 2 November 1963; in an attempt to replace his unpopular dictatorship. However this only created a power-vacuum. As the Viet Cong continued to expand, the war escalated with the Gulf of Tonkin incident on August 2, 1964: when a US destroyer and aircraft was damaged by Communist torpedo boats. The USA blamed the incident on Communist forces, and so considered this an act of war against the USA; despite the fact that no American soldiers were killed and there is little actual evidence confirming Communist involvement. Many historians consider that the incident was a False Flag created by the USA in order to justify US involvement into Vietman. Others considered that the incident did occur, but that the details were exaggerated and that the military response was excessive. Others argued that the US destroyer attacked first, or that the destroyer fired warning shots that the Communists mistook for counter-fire. Captain John J. Herrick considered the possibility that his sailors on-board the USS Maddox were merely reacting to harsh weather rather than enemy ships. Herrick also officially stated that there were no visual sightings of enemy ships during the incident. North Vietnamese Naval officials have publicly stated that the USS Maddox was never fired on by North Vietnamese naval forces. The USA launched their first of many bombing raids into North Vietnam only 3 days later; in Operation Pierce Arrow. Early 1968 was a turning point for US involvement due to the Tet Offensive. The US government claimed they were winning the War and backed these claims with reports of American forces winning almost every battle and overwhelming Communist forces with superior firepower. The North and South Vietnamese armies had a ceasefire to celebrate the Tet Lunar New Year; however the Viet Cong was technically its own faction separate from the North and so did not follow the ceasefire and instead exploited the fact that the South would have many of its soldiers on-leave for the holiday. The Viet Cong surprised the ARVN and US Army by raiding over 100 towns and cities all at the same time; including an attempted raid on the US embassy in Saigon. The Viet Cong were pushed back, and suffered heavy casualties. However American distrust of their government grew in response to this; the Anti-Vietnam War protest movement was convinced that the war was not almost over and that instead, it would last indefinitely. President Richard Nixon promised to end the war at the start of his presidency. However he planned to do this by striking at the Viet Cong directly; in their bases within the Khmer Republic, also known as Cambodia (a US ally at that time). Between 29 April – 22 July 1970, the Cambodian Campaign sabotaged many Viet Cong bases. However in the USA; this only escalated the Anti-Vietnam War protest movement. These protesters feared that invading Cambodia only expanded the War further instead of attempting to end it. On May 4, 1970; 13 protesters at Kent State University were shot by police; 4 were killed and 1 was permanently paralyzed. The Kent State Massacre (along with similar other incidents of American police shooting at anti-war protesters) further outraged the American public; especially when Nixon publicly showed no sympathy to the victims. The Cambodian government faced severe political backlashes for allowing the US to invade Cambodian territory; which led the Khmer Rouge and Pol Pot to gain popularity. The Viet Cong forces were able to eventually return to their Cambodian bases and repair most of the damage done by the Campaign; making the Campaign strategically unsuccessful in the long-term. Despite the US army inflicting heavy casualties, the Viet Cong were able to use their tactics of tunneling, small squads, traps and ambushes to withstand the US forces for over a decade. With the people of the USA tired of the length and costs of the war (in terms of economic losses along with soldiers returning home wounded or dead), the large scale military conscription (and the rise of PTSD and drug-use as a result), and the war crimes committed by both sides, President Nixon was pressured to remove US forces from Vietnam in 1973. Because the US troops provided the funds of the war, and faced most of the fighting, the South Vietnamese army was not equipped or trained to defeat the popular and experienced Communist forces. This was confirmed during Operation Lam Son 719 (8 February – 25 March 1971); where the South attempted to invade the Ho Chi Minh Trail in southern Laos (a nation which the USA legally could not enter at that time.) The South was quickly routed and the invasion was a disaster. US Pullout Reunification In December of 1974, while the USA was still distracted by the Watergate Scandal and Nixon's resignation, North Vietnam and the Viet Cong captured South Vietnam in the incredibly successful Spring Offensive of 1975. Literally thousands of ARVN soldiers discarded their clothing and hid among the civilian population to avoid combat or arrest from the Communists. http://autooverload.com/official-vietnam-war-history-re-told-through-photos/98/ The US Navy evacuated 7000 American and South Vietnamese citizens in Operation Frequent Wind. The evacuation was so chaotic that the carrier USS Okinawa threw multiple helicopters into the ocean to make room for the evacuated. Even after Saigon fell on April 30, 1975; some remains of the ARVN and pockets of anti-communist rebels continued to exist. By July 2, 1976; these counter-revolutionaries were crushed. With the war now entirely over; the Viet Cong officially disbanded as their entire nation became unified under Communist rule. Today the Viet Cong flag is still used as a symbol of national pride, both by citizens and the government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. United Vietnam Third Indochina War The former allies of Vietnam and the Khmer Rouge quickly became hostile enemies after the Second Indochina War ended. The Khmer Rouge tyrant Pol Pot made public speeches threatening total genocide against Non-Khmers, especially Vietnamese. The Khmer Rouge launched multiple raids into Vietnam; slaughtering thousands of Vietnamese villagers. On 21 December 1978: the Vietnamese retaliated with The Invasion of Kampuchea. Pol Pot made little effort to arm his troops or employ strategies or tactics; openly declaring the Khmer to be so ethnically superior to the Vietnamese that they could win, despite being outnumbered 2 to 1. However the Khmer Rouge were unable to maintain their defense; especially with the Cambodian Genocide weakening the nation's economy, slaughtering many military officers, spreading famine within the army, and causing rampant corruption and political incompetence. Meanwhile; the Vietnamese maintained their experience and leadership achieved through decades of war. The Vietnamese Army used Cambodian highways to arrive in the capital city of Kampuchea on 7 January 1979 (less than 3 weeks later). Pol Pot fled into the jungle with his Khmer Rouge and the Vietnamese established a puppet government; The People's Republic of Kampuchea. Despite the Cambodian Genocide; the Vietnamese faced severe international backlash for the occupation of Cambodia. China, one of the allies of the Khmer Rouge, declared war against Vietnam in retaliation. This Sino-Vietnamese War lasted only 4 weeks; from 17 February – 16 March 1979. The Chinese were aware of Vietnam's past achievements, and didn't want to risk a costly prolonged war. The Khmer Rouge continued to exist as a terrorist organization; fighting the PRK and Vietnamese with guerrilla tactics, bombings, massacres, assassinations, and mass use of landmines. China would join other Anti-Vietnamese nations (including Thailand and the USA) in maintaining funds to the Khmer Rouge. In 1986; Vietnam witnessed the beginning of the fall of the Soviet Union and decided to reform its communist policies to maintain growth and stability. The collectivism economy of Vietnam was was replaced with a socialist-oriented market economy; allowing capitalist policies to be gradually introduced into the nation. Vietnam experienced rapid economic growth, which still continues to be strong today. On 1 May 1989: Vietnam began a transitional phase for the PRK: allowing the UN to monitor Cambodia until the eventual formation of the modern Cambodian Kingdom on 24 September 1993. As part of the transition; Vietnamese forces officially left Cambodian on 26 September 1989. The Khmer Rouge and similar insurgencies would continue to exist in Indochina; but would eventually fizzle out. Vietnam Today The nation of Vietnam has been denied compensation for the war and even today, thousands of people are still being killed or deformed by Agent Orange and other illegal chemical weapons used by the USA during the war. Surprisingly however, the USA and Vietnam eventually rebuilt their relations after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. The USA is also attempting some form of military alliance with the Vietnamese to counter the growing power of China; which both Vietnam and the USA see as a potential threat. In October 2016, two U.S. warships, the submarine tender USS Frank Cable and guided-missile destroyer USS John S. McCain, docked in Cam Ranh Bay. This was the first time a U.S. warship has docked in Cam Ranh Bay since the war. Most Vietnamese people today do not have any Anti-American hostilities and welcome American tourists who visit their country. Battle Waffen SS Viet Cong The battle begins with members of a Viet Cong cell bringing in the beaten up leader of the Waffen SS team as a prisoner. He is tossed to the ground and kicked around. Up ahead, the rest of the Nazi SS team is sneaking up on the Viet Cong's campsite to try and rescue their leader, setting up Betty Bombs along the way. The Viet Cong leader points his Tokarev TT-33 at the soldier while interrogating him in Vietnamese, telling him to say who he was, who sent him, and what is he doing around the campsite. The Nazi leader only responds by spitting at his face. The angered Viet Cong leader cocks his Tokarev and prepares to execute him on the spot, but the rest of the Waffen SS platoon jumps in and fires at the camp with MP28 sub-machine guns. The VC leader takes cover as one VC operative is killed and the Viet Cong team scrambles for their weapons as a battle ensues. In the confusion, the SS leader manages to escape from the clutches of the Viet Cong and rush into the jungle. One VC concentrates its fire and kills a Nazi soldier with his MAT-49 sub-machine gun. image:bluedead.png Seeing the VC soldiers become more assembled, the other soldiers fall back into the jungle as the rest of the Viet Cong gives chase. In the jungle, the Nazi leader runs into one of his fellow soldiers who gives him a Mauser C96 pistol. The soldier leads on through the jungle, but quickly falls into a Punji stake pit, which kills him instantly. The Nazi leader grimaces as he watches his friend fall. He turns around and sees two Viet Cong soldiers closing in, so he quickly runs further into the jungle. In another area, two more Viet Congs are catching up to two other Nazi soldiers. The two Nazis and a Viet Cong safely pass by a planted Bouncing Betty, but when the second Viet Cong tries to pass, the bomb jumps up and explodes, killing him. The two Nazis make their way to a small river. As one of them tries to cross, he trips a wire and activates the POMZ-2 mine, killing him. image:bluedead.png The other Nazi jumps across the river and kills the oncoming Viet Cong soldier with his MP28 as he approaches the river. Meanwhile, the Nazi leader kills one of the two remaining Viet Cong members with his Mauser and then makes his way across a small bridge over the river. The Viet Cong leader tries to follow, but is spotted by the other Nazi soldier. He attempts to shoot the last Viet Cong with his MP28, but runs out of ammo. The Viet Cong leader drops the Nazi with his Tokarev. image:bluedead.png The two remaining leaders exchange fire with each other with their pistols until both guns are depleted. The Nazi leader then finds his team's Kubelwagen and runs to it, finding a Flammenwerfer 41 flamethrower in the back. While the Viet Cong leader is loading a fresh clip into his gun, his Nazi counterpart ducks for cover behind the Kubelwagen and straps on the flamethrower. The Viet Cong leader finishes reloading and fires at the Kubelwagen while yelling in Vietnamese, but the Nazi leader jumps out from behind the car and shoots a strong burst of fire at him. The Viet Cong leader is set ablaze and slumps to the ground. The Nazi leader examines the still-burning corpse, and then yells "Deutschland!" (Germany) in victory. Expert's Opinion After the battle, the experts gave their opinions on the battle. They said that what really decided the match was the weapons of the Waffen SS tended to be more devastating than those of the Viet Cong such as the lethal ability between the Flammenwerfer 41 and the punji stakes, as well as the fact that the superbly trained SS troops were able to destroy the poorly trained and poorly supplied peasant guerrillas. Trivia * Vo Nguyen Giap, the main military leader of the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army, Giap didn't go through any military training before joining People of Vietnam's Army. A history teacher, researcher and user of Vietnamese arts of war, Napoleon and Sun Tzu tactics. * The Viet Cong assisted the Khmer Rouge, another communist warrior group, during the Vietnam War until Cambodia was captured by Pol Pot. However border conflicts and tensions between the nations appeared after the end of the Vietnam War. In late 1978 the Vietnamese saw the Khmer Rouge and Pol Pot as too hostile and invaded. Trained by the Vietcong and experienced by the Vietnam War, they easily overwhelmed the young, violently insane Khmer Rouge soldiers in combination with the Cambodian Genocide sending the nation into chaos. In only two weeks, the Khmer Rouge was removed from power and Pol Pot continued to fight with guerrilla tactics until his own soldiers betrayed and arrested him. * The Viet Cong are officially called 'The National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam' but were called 'Vietnamese Communists', 'The VC', 'Viet Cong' and 'Victor Charlie' by the US army. * Viet Cong were not just soldiers but also propagandists and tax collectors. It was common for Viet Cong to be invited into villages and praised for their heroic stance. However it was also common for the Viet Cong to repress and commit warcrimes against more hostile territories. In both cases, their control over the countryside of South Vietnam was a provisional government. * 30% of all Viet Cong attacks on non-communist forces were 'Harassment by Fire': in other words a fast hit and run tactic where the Viet Cong squads fire less than 20 rounds at their enemy before immediately fleeing. This included ambushes from tunnels or jungles, assassination attempts, sniping, and bombing attacks from mortars or rocket launchers. * The USA spent $1 billion on supporting the French during the French Indochina War: at one point, providing 80% of France's military budget in that war. ** Operation Vulture was a proposed US intervention in the French Indochina War. It was ultimately vetoed by Eisenhower, who would instead assist South Vietnam with military and financial aid rather than get the US military directly involved. *** Secretary of State John Foster Dulles proposed to use nuclear weapons against the Viet Minh for Operation Vulture. * The French requested the USA to use 3 nuclear bombs during the Vietnam War. * In 1965: US general William Westmoreland infamously declared that the Vietnam War would end by 1967 thanks to US military involvement. US involvement would end 27 January 1973 and South Vietnam would fall on 30 April 1975. *Viet Cong and the Ho Chi Minh Trail Documentary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=poE_nNW9-yk * The Viet Cong appeared in the CIA/KGB episode, getting killed by a CIA agent disguised as the Viet Cong. * The Viet Cong appeared in the Navy SEAL/Israel Commando episode, getting killed by the SEALs. * The Viet Cong and the Nazi SS are the only warriors in season 1 and 2 who had no defined Long Range Weapons. * Even though they weren't tested in the Deadliest Warrior fight club, The Waffen SS and Viet Cong used rifles in the simulation, the SKS being used by the Viet Cong and the Karabiner 98K being used by the Nazi Waffen SS. 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